The rol of gas in the energy mix

Politicicians, authorities and scientists provide their view on the role of natural gas in the energy mix in the Netherlands: www.aardgas-update.nl (in Dutch).

International Energy Agency (IEA) forecast show that in the context of the total energy requirement fossil fuels will remain the most important contributor. (See Energy report 2011(pdf) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (NL))

In comparison with other fossil fuels such as coal and oil, gas is relatively clean. CO2 emissions are lower than in the case of oil and coal, and combustion of gas hardly leads to any emission of particulate pollutants. The operation of gas fired power stations is thus relatively clean.

Another benefit of gas  is its energy efficient transport, provided the infrastructure is in place. The Netherlands is a great example.  Thanks to a dense network of pipelines gas can be transported cheaply to a vast number of end users, homes and industries, in the Netherlands and abroad. 

Gas and the international climate debate 
In the debate on energy, the subject of climate change has taken an ever more prominent place. This is evident not only from the European vision on climate change and European Climate Change Programme, but also from other developments around the world in this area. And while the results of the world climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009 dismayed many, it is clear that over time a transition to more sustainable forms of energy will be feasible.

Gas will be a critically important energy source in this transition process. As long as the world remains dependent on fossil fuels, gas will be a prime candidate to generate clean energy.